The present invention generally relates to a pothead assembly.
A typical subterranean well includes submersible equipment to which wet electrical connections are made. For example, referring to FIG. 1, a production system 10 of a subterranean well may include a tubular string 12 that extends inside a casing string 14 and through a production zone 20 of the well. The string 12 typically has a central passageway for purposes of communicating well fluid to the surface of the well. To aid in producing this well fluid, the string 12 may include a submersible pump 22.
The submersible pump 22 may operate from power that is provided from the surface of the well by one or more electrical cables 16. For example, for a three-phase pump, three electrical cables 16 may extend from the surface of the well along the string 12 to the pump 22.
Due to the very nature of its operation, the submersible pump 22 is surrounded by well fluid. A connection assembly 25, or pothead, is used to connect the electrical power cables 16 to the motorhead of the pump 22. The sealed connections formed by the pothead 25 should ideally maintain their integrity even in the relatively high temperature and pressure that are present in the well. The integrity of the sealed connections may be affected by the relative movement that occurs between the cables 16 and the submersible pump 22.
Thus, there exists a continuing need for a pothead that maintains its integrity in the wellbore environment.